Samson, Bo and me in Savannah

Being There

Now that the die has been cast, and the “presumptive” GOP nominee–in the guise of Donald Trump–has been anointed, I’m going to offer up my picks for a preferred nominee. I was moved to write this after learning that artist Illma Gore, who created a nude portrait of Trump, was assaulted by a group of his followers. She has also received death threats and is unable to show this piece in the United States, but it has been displayed at the Maddox Gallery in London. priced at $1.87 million.

(google – Ilma Gore / “Make America Great Again”)

My picks:

(1) Chance, the protagonist from the film (based on the Jerzy Kosinski novel) Being There, brilliantly portrayed by Peter Sellers.

Chance is a simple-minded gardener who tends the garden of a wealthy old man in Washington, DC. When the old man dies, Chance is forced to leave the old man’s house and makes his way into the “real” world for the first time, ending up at the home of an elderly business mogul who is also a confidant and adviser to the president of the United States. Chance unwittingly becomes enmeshed in politics but has no real awareness of what is going on around him.

I think Chance would be a better Republican nominee for the simple reason he has no malice or guile, and could do no harm.

(2) Bernie the Cat.

Bernie is a five-year-old domestic shorthair feline. He believes in equal rights for all, particularly the abused, homeless and disenfranchised (very un-Republican) and is fervently against fat-shaming. He himself weighs 24 pounds and is currently on a diet. He feels the abuse suffered by the overweight in our society is cruel and not based on science. He would like his future constituents to read this New York Times article on the plight of the obese, citing former contestants from the TV show The Biggest Loser who regained much of the weight they lost after leaving the show.

(3) Your next-door neighbor who is not a psycho.

I’m certain that many of you have neighbors who are hard-working, decent people grounded in reality. I know it would be a sacrifice for them, but perhaps we can ask our neighbors to run for office. Being independently wealthy or having lots of wealthy friends would help.

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16 thoughts on “Being There”

Trump never wanted to be president….he did this to improve his brand…and now he’s way over his head. A Trump presidency scares me to death!! “Being There” is one of the greatest films!!! Chance Gardener would have made a fine president; with all his gardner metaphors, it might be a kinder gentler nation with great landscaping. I’d like to see Bernie Sanders win…but I also nominate my cat Molly and your Bernie. Molly supports mental health services for all and affordable housing (she’s from a hoarded house). What a crazy election year!! You can’t make this shit up!!

Hi,
I tried to check out your site, but I had trouble. I will tell you here that I loved your comments on Erica’s blog. I didn’t think anyone had heard of Chance, but you and Erica did. I also liked what you wrote about Trump.
Janice

well, against Trump, i suppose i would nominate a head of lettuce, which would be a far better president, but if we can’t find a head of lettuce who is willing to deal with the rabble that is Congress, i would think a Meryl Streep / Jon Stewart ticket might be nice (which i just found out would be an all New Jersey born ticket, so one would expect Bruce Springsteen to join the campaign trail).

Hi,
I loved your post. I know Chance. Peter Sellers and Shirley McClain had great chemistry in the film. You have written what so many are thinking. Your cat and his name Bernie are cute.
Congratulations on being danny Ray’s featured blogger. I met you on his site. I was just featured block or two. Maybe you can check out my site if you need a blogging to pour two. That’s what I write about.
Janice